What do you remember about your first kiss? Does it make you smile or your heart skip a beat? There is a kiss and then, there is the kiss. The first one. If you’ve kissed, then you know what I am writing about. It can stop us in our tracks, make us see fireworks, (figuratively) bring us to our knees, or make our head spin; and often leave us with a desire for more. What is it in that first kiss that possesses so much power?

The anticipation, hopefulnss, restlessness, and nervous curiousity that precedes a first kiss can all dissipate in a second when the lips gently touch…

I am not a fan of soap operas so this post is not about this actor, Nick Santino, but about the sadness of his choice to commit suicide after putting his dog down. Apparently, there were complaints about the dog’s barking and my guess is the threats were coming because the dog is a Pit Bull. Nick chose to put his dog down and could not handle the grief that followed. Anyone who has assisted their pet in this process, knows the pain can seem unbearable. My heart goes out to Nick, family, and friends.

It is 2012! With the start of a new year and the puppy adoptions that have happened and will happen in the coming months of spring, it feels like it is time to do a few posts on life with a puppy. I have a few suggestions, but am starting off with a video that demonstrates one of my favorite suggestions for not only how to train but also how to exhaust a puppy – use an older, well-behaved dog!

Dogs may be as receptive to certain human communication signals as infants. Here’s a great article that brings insight into how we communicate with our dogs. As with humans, actions speak louder than words!

I have been told by more than one person that having a dog is a huge responsibility they just aren’t sure they can handle. When I say I have three dogs, then they multiply my responsibility by three. Caring for a dog does take some of our time, so I decided I would write down a few of my responsibilities in having dogs. Here’s what I came up with:

I am responsible for …

Talking sweetly to Melody as she wiggles, crab-crawls, and “gets silly”

Picking up Moby and dancing around as I sing our song.

Brushing Zoe as she paws for me not to stop.

Walking Zoe as she frolicks in front of me and runs back full speed to sit for a pet.

Telling Moby that Zoe doesn’t have the only bone in the house.

Laughing every morning as Zoe talks to me (seriously!) and the little ones look to see if I’m awake as they prepare to meet the day as if it were the best thing ever.

Opening the back door and letting the dogs out…then, opening the door to let the dogs back in.

These are just a few of them…

I can now see why others perceive my having dogs as a HUGE responsibility. I gotta’ go now – there’s a dog that needs a hug.

. . .of course they do! There are experiences in life when science finally validates what some of us already knows or believes to be true. If you have spent any time observing dog behavior, you already know the answer to the question – Do Dogs Smile?

Being a responsible human isn’t always easy. Owning up to our choices and their resultant consequences can be a challenge. Sometimes, and too many times, it seems easier and harmless to blame someone, something, and worse of all – a being that cannot defend itself. The image below is worth sharing and has been making its way around Facebook. I completely agree with Cesar Millan. . .when will the humans be held accountable and responsible for their actions.